True Wealth Will Make You Happy But It Must Be “True”

Many of us would wish for money, lots of it! Don’t we all want to be rich? It is everybody’s dream.

For some people, getting rich is one of life’s ultimate goals. Many make the mistake of using money to define them as a person.

Make no mistake about it. Money is just a tool that can be used for defining who and what we are. It is still our attitude and way of thinking that defines us.

Money is only a medium of exchange. By itself, it is neither good nor bad. Money is neutral. Money is just a tool and just like any other tool or instrument, it can build or destroy.

Think of money as a hammer. It is a tool to build homes, assemble furniture, repair drawers, and reinforce structures. The same tool is used to demolish houses, disassemble furniture, destroy drawers and wreck structures.

For many of us, acquiring wealth is the end goal. However, this seldom happens because once we arrive at our objective, we do not just settle down and spend money as if there will be no tomorrow. Human instinct drives us to aspire for more. We seek productive ways to use our wealth and become more successful.

True wealth lies not in our position and stature in the corporate world number of mansions we own, bank accounts we have, blue-chip stocks in our investment portfolio, businesses we operate, Ferraris and BMWs parked in our garage, credit cards we use, and exotic vacations we regularly take.

True wealth lies in defining ourselves by who and what we are, not by what we do or do not have. We can never measure our self-worth by our net worth.

True wealth lies in understanding the nature of money. Money is not the end itself, but the means to a greater end. Money can be used to add dimension to wealth – what matters most is how we legally and ethically make it and share it.

It is often said, “Along with great riches comes stewardship and responsibility to use wealth for noble purposes.”

The number one secret of flourishing businesses is the tunnel-like focus on their purpose and that is, to be of service to customers. The true test of a great business is the number of satisfied customers. Profit only comes second.

Great businesses are not only known for their exceptional products or services. What defines them is their business purpose. From this noble purpose, everything else will follow: how the business will be run, who its target customers are, production systems to be developed, and how its products and services will be sold to the market. In essence, the purpose defines the success of the business.

True wealth is enhanced when shared with others. In the technical sense, the late Mother Teresa may not have been personally wealthy, but the continuous flow of donations made her order one of the wealthiest ever. When wealth is used for a higher purpose and not for personal enjoyment alone, true wealth naturally increases.

In the end, we realize that money is truly a blessing – as long as it leads us to aspire for true wealth. True wealth does not come from what we earn. It comes from what we do with what we have.